MARGARITA WITH A STRAW- a cocktail of emotional experiences

Why does a film with differently challenged characters hug you emotionally. Why do you feel so charged at the end of it. And why is that it all gets a good review praising them more than they deserve. Is that our way to Un-Guilt ourselves. Why do we focus so much on the central character and in process miss the support cast, even if differently challenged. While Kalki Koechlin has done great work and must be appreciated for the acting, Sayali Gupta’s performance is more challenging but rarely spoken about.

MARGARITA, WITH A STRAW- remains a cocktail of emotional experimentation. JUST GO AND WATCH and don’t forget to take your own straw to drink Magarita with Laila and Khanum.

It is not a film about empathy and sympathy, its about normality in non-normal. Its about desires and dreams. Its about attitude. I would have warmed up to it ad lived it a lot for its once again compromising end. The bird that could fly but won’t. And that chokes for a character that till then has been ambitious, full of dreams and never allowed her condition ( Cerebral Palsy) define her boundaries. She has been independently dependent on her family and yet she gets the support and care, she gets the scholarship and moves to New York University. She is exploring even while she meets Khanum ( Sayali Gupta), the sightless student activist. Tis is the place she self discovers and makes choices including her sexuality, something that is expected to be the point of debate when she opens to her mother. And then what?

Shonali Bose as a writer –Director once again does a good job for you to get immersed in the film. You are part of the neighbour who is getting a peep into life of Laila kapoor. Finally here is a film where the character physical challenges stop having meaning. There are moment where you ignore her Cerebral Palsy and engage with her as any other woman and that is the success of this film. It is then the film rises about desires, sexuality and differently challenged to the level of questioning the desire and need for self identity, being able to take decisions and make those important personal choices.

Maybe we could even work these films in creating consciousness toward contributing medical care for such people. I am sure that if one was asked to donate 20-50-or 100 while buying the ticket or when you came out , most likely you would have felt obliged and donated.